I’m not a sexual harasser, says Herman Cain

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is denying that he sexually harassed female employees when he headed the National Restaurant Association, but does not deny that they association may have paid out a cash settlement.

The website Politico reported late Sunday that two employees had complained to colleagues and association executives that Cain made sexually suggestive remarks when he headed the lobbying group.

“It is totally baseless and totally false: Never have I committed any kind of sexual harassment,” Cain told Fox News, in an interview notable for its gentle questions.

“If the restaurant association did a settlement, I wasn’t even aware of it and I hope it wasn’t for much,” Cain added. “If there was a settlement it was handled by some of the other officers at the restaurant association.”

Cain claimed that he has been “falsely accused” and that the accusations proved to be “totally baseless.”

The National Restaurant Association refused to confirm or deny that it paid the two women, who left their jobs allegedly because they were not comfortable working for Cain.

“The incidents in question relate to personnel matters that allegedly took place nearly 15 years ago,” said a spokeswoman. She did not elaborate on the nature of the “incidents.”

Politico spent 10 days seeking a response from the Cain campaign, and reporter Jonathan Martin confronted the candidate in Washington, D.C., on Sunday morning. When the reporter asked Cain if he had been charged with sexual harassment, Cain asked back: “Have you ever been accused of sexual harassment.”

Real estate mogul Donald Trump spoke up in defense of Cain, saying harassment allegations are often easier to settle even when baseless. It is “cheaper and quicker and no publicity,” said “The Donald.”

Concerned Women of America, a conservative group — with a strong presence in Iowa — has demanded a full explanation from Cain.

The restaurant association reportedly made settlements that barred the ex-employees from talking about circumstances of their departure. Politico has learned the identities of the two women, but is not publishing their names on grounds of privacy.

NBC News reported Monday that it, too, has identified one of the women who settled with the restaurant association.

While running as an outsider in the 2012 presidential race, Cain was very much a Washington, D.C., insider from 1996 to 1999 as president of the National Restaurant Association.

Former (Tacoma) News-Tribune reporter Ken Vogel, now with Politico, was one of the writers who broke the story.